Governor Pritzker Announces Approval of Federal Aid for Local Governments in Lee County

Statement

Governor JB Pritzker announced today that the federal government approved his request to add Lee County to the State's existing public assistance disaster declaration. This will allow local governments, non-profits and houses of worship in Lee County to access grants or loans to help with flood-related losses or costs incurred from battling this year's historic flood. Based on newly-identified and validated costs, the losses sustained by Lee County and its local taxing bodies from the 2019 severe storms and flooding exceeds nearly $400,000.

"Without this federal assistance, these expenses would be financed out of already over-strapped local budgets, leaving insufficient funds to promote long-term recovery," said Acting IEMA Director Alicia Tate-Nadeau. "These funds play an essential role in helping our Illinois communities rebuild following this devastating flood."

Under the Public Assistance program, FEMA awards grants to assist state and local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations with the response to and recovery from disasters. Under the guidelines of the PA program, local jurisdictions can be reimbursed for up to 75 percent of eligible costs. The program can provide funding for debris removal, implementation of emergency protective measures and permanent restoration of infrastructure. The program also encourages protection from future damage by providing assistance for hazard mitigation measures during the recovery process. The state of Illinois will work with FEMA to manage the program and administer the funding.

The federal government approved the following counties for the public assistance program: Adams, Alexander, Bureau, Calhoun, Carroll, Cass, Fulton, Greene, Hancock, Henderson, Henry, Jackson, Jersey, Knox, Lee, Madison, Mercer, Monroe, Morgan, Pike, Randolph, Rock Island, Schuyler, Scott, St. Clair, Stephenson, Union and Whiteside.

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